Horse DNA found in more beef products

More beef products sold by Birds Eye along with foods from the catering
supplier Brakes and fast food chain Taco Bell have found to be contaminated
with horse meat, according to the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Birds Eye Traditional Spaghetti Bolognese and Beef Lasagne are among the latest products to be withdrawn from supermarket shelves Photo: PA

All four products were withdrawn from supermarket shelves after ten tests found they contained more than one per cent horse meat.

The latest round of testing was the third to be carried out by the food regulator since horse meat was discovered in a batch of frozen burgers in January.

First experts identified horse meat in Findus beef lasagne and Rangeland's catering burger products as well as ready meals from Aldi, Co-op and Tesco ranges.

A second wave of tests found evidence of further contamination in chilled beef bolognese sauce from Asda, a lasagne and beefburger from Whitbread Group, and beefburgers, minced beef and halal minced beef sold by Sodexo, a food supplier which caters for schools, care homes and the armed forces.

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Taco Bell, the American Tex-Mex chain which has three outlets in the UK, said it was "disappointed" that traces of horse meat had been found in beef provided by a European supplier.

The company said in a statement: "We would like to apologise to all of our customers, and we can reassure you that we are working hard to ensure that every precaution is being undertaken to guarantee that we are only supplied with products that meet the high standards we demand."

Birds Eye's spaghetti bolognese and beef lasagne had already been withdrawn from a sale as a precaution in Britain along with a third ready meal, a shepherd's pie, after horse DNA was identified in a chilli con carne meal it sold in Belgium.

The three products sold in Britain had been manufactured by Frigilunch NV, the same Belgian supplier which made the chilli dish.

The company said it was introducing its own DNA testing programme for all its minced beef products, and added that "No other Birds Eye products have tested positive for horse DNA, nor do they share the same supply chains as Frigilunch NV."

Brakes, the Kent-based company which supplies the House of Commons Catering Service along with pubs serving 19,000 customers, last month withdrew a variety of products from sale as a precaution. It too is introducing new tests on its products.

"Brakes and Creative Foods are very disappointed to have been let down by our respective suppliers and have sincerely apologised to our customers," it said in a statement.

McDonald's claimed in a statement on Friday that all tests for horse meat contamination on its beef products had been negative.

Jill McDonald, President and Chief Executive Officer, McDonald’s UK said: “I’m pleased to say that McDonald’s has not been affected.

"We voluntarily provided samples of all beef burgers currently available on our menu to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for their own tests. All tests, including our own have now been completed and we can confirm that no horse meat has been found in any of McDonald’s products."